The strike on Monday in the village of Komyshuvakha, near the front line, involved Russia dropping several bombs on a school building used for distributing aid; Ukraine said a strike then hit an underground shelter filled with people in a follow-up attack. Four police officers and two rescue crew members were among the dead. Ukrainian police have released body-camera footage from one of the officers killed, showing people being ushered into the shelter as the officer receives a radio warning of incoming guided aerial bombs; people are then seen inside before the footage cuts to black.
The United States has announced a new round of talks aimed at ending the war, with delegations from Ukraine and Russia set to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11. Special envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions would cover post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and ending the war, after President Vladimir Putin agreed to talks following a meeting with Witkoff in St Petersburg on October 21.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a “vile terrorist strike” and said it showed that Russia did not want de-escalation, adding that it had wasted an opportunity created by a ceasefire and humanitarian mission last week in the front-line village of Oleshky. The United Nations human rights mission in Ukraine said on Tuesday that the bombing likely violated international law.
Local authorities said Russian drones were hampering the search for victims in Komyshuvakha, but acting head of the regional military administration Mykhailo Semikin insisted operations would continue. Zelenskyy, in a social media post, said: “Unfortunately, there has been very little reaction from the world to this insane attack. But it, like thousands upon thousands of other war crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine and Ukrainians, demands a strong response. Evil always goes further if it is left unanswered.”
Previous rounds of talks have secured little progress, with Moscow refusing to compromise on demands that Kyiv give up territory, demilitarise and guarantee it will not seek to join NATO. The Trump administration has appeared to offer support for Russia’s position, stoking concern in Kyiv and Europe.